The Joy of a Dinner Party

Last weekend my family had the privilege of visiting our good friends in Waco. We love them dearly and it is such a treat to spend time with them. My friend is the ultimate hostess. The evening we arrived, my friend had set this lovely table for dinner. It was absolutely stunning. The pictures do not do it justice. I love this setting because it is refined and elegant without being overwhelming. The Wedgwood china, linen place mats and monogrammed napkins belonged to the host’s grandmother. What a lovely way to add interest and history to a table setting.

What I enjoyed even more was the fact that the adults and children wore casual, comfortable clothing to dinner. How many times do you get to do that. My friend served a lovely spread of beef tender, green beans, salad, potatoes and rolls. The meal was delicious. We had the most delightful dinner conversation and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Our teenage children even joined the conversation and acted like they were enjoying our grown-up dinner. I really think the teenagers were so comfortable in their street clothes that they weren’t chomping at the bit to be excused.

I am going to take a lesson from my friend and bring out my fine china and best recipes for my next casual affair.

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About Leslie Hendrix Wood

Leslie Hendrix Wood is the founding editor of the luxury lifestyle and design blog, Hadley Court and an interior decorator with Chancellor Interiors in Midland, Texas.

Leslie received her undergraduate degree in business. She worked briefly in banking and returned to school to earn her MBA.

Upon graduation, she moved to Washington D.C. to work on a Presidential campaign and received a Presidential appointment to a position in International Trade.

At the end of the administration, Leslie returned to her hometown and joined the family oil and gas business, although her first passion has always been, after raising her children with her husband, business and interior design.

When she saw her children were closer to leaving home, she decided to start the blog, Hadley Court. in 2012, which won the Design Bloggers Conference Hall of Fame award for Best New Design Blog in 2013 - a prestigious honor granted by her peers.

In 2014, she is, in addition to blogging, beginning to build the family friendly luxury lifestyle brand: HADLEY COURT, based on her values of Gracious Living, Timeless Design and Family Traditions.

Comments

First off, that table is exquisite! Second, I love being able to used old things in every day life. I just recently started using an old set of silverware that was made in my home state of Connecticut in the 1800’s! Using things like that makes for a great story and a great feeling at dinner.